AS OCR Media StudiesAudience and Institutions: Film Industry

You have to research the production and distribution companies that made

and distributed your filmHere is a list of statements, questions

and tasks to ensure you have EVERYTHING covered!

1. ALL the questions are offered as guidelines.

2. There will be questions that you may not be able to answer.

3. It is down to you to work on the development of your own chosen film from idea to screening: from institution to audience.

•GOOD LUCK!!!

Take Note

• Genre

• Consider your film. Are there any issues with the genre of it? Is it a hybrid? How does this effect the distribution and marketing?

• You must be able to understand the film genres associated with each studio/ production company.

• Why have they chosen these? What does this suggest about them?

• How profitable are these genres in today’s market? How do you know this?

• What about Synergies?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

• Convergence

• Relate to...

• Production

• Distribution?

• How did cross-media platforms aid your film?

• What could be pre-production issues for the production company?For example, where did the idea come from?

• Who wrote it? Was it a team brought in, or was it based on an existing text (novel, screen play?)

• Original Idea

• Where did it come from?

• What happened to the original script/ idea?

• Did this stay the work of one person, or did others get involved?

• Did your company get taken over by another, or use another for support? (Look at Warp and Film4 here).

• Detail any institutional issues that were a result of this?

• Consider the implications to the audience here.

• Finance

• Where there any issues with getting backing?

• Who financed it? One group or many? What was in it for them?

• Now think about the budgets and prospects of how companies might distribute and market a film.

• What issues do you think there are?

• Where can you find this information?

• Costs

• What did it cost the studio to make?

• How much did the stars get? Did it differ much between the main stars? Why?

• Can you identify where the budget went?

• Was it shot within budget? Did it go over? How close?

•

Name of producer/s?

• Name of the director?

• How did they get involved? Any further associations with these - what are they known for?

• Casting

• Main stars/ roles/ characters?

• What had they been cast in before?

• What was their ‘star appeal’?

• Any issues with getting the cast? Their timetables and other commitments? Were they second or first choice?

• How important was this casting in terms of the audience? Why were they chosen? Effect?

• Production

• Any issues for the production company whilst shooting?

• See if you can find any ‘on set’ disputes (think SITC?

• Any script changes whilst on set/ in production?

• Same editor throughout? Was the script editor changed?

• Do you know of any re-writes/ script edits?

• Who were the main people in the production team and what did they do?

• Sound

• Who composed the film music? Consider the implications of this person (just as a star is cast)

• Consider the sales of the CDs. Find reviews (Empire is good here).

• Location

• Was it all shot in a studio?

• Was anything shot on location?

• Think about budgets - did they chose the cheaper location, would the audience know this?

• Any technical issues when making the film?

• Consider the use of SFX: practical and special effects here.

• Convergence

• Consider in terms of technology and production/ distribution/ marketing and relate to the key concepts here.

• How important was new technology such as Computer Generated Imagery? Think about the studios involved here (Disney for example)• How important is this for the film and its

audiences?

• Importance of digital technology for the distribution of your film?

• How significant are distribution mediums like DVDS, the world web and DTV when distributing a film?

• Advantages and disadvantages?

• Detail the advertising strategy for the film.

• What do you know about the consumption of your film with different audiences - demographics and different geographical locations?•

Who were the distributors? • Is it a major player? What else have

they done? Did they work with other companies in different locations?• What do you notice about this?

• Target audience for your film...

• You know this because...?

• Where and when di they release your film?

• What do you notice about the dates (Awards, holidays, was it the same across the country/ countries)?

• What happened outside of the UK?

• Do you know how these were secured?

• Any changes to the release time table? Why?

• Where/ when was the premiere? Which venue? Any themes? What was the coverage like?

• Was it distributed to digital cinemas? Why?

• When did it go to DVD/ blue-ray?

• Any figures for this?

• How did they market this online - Youtube or viral ads? Any downloads available before?

• Comment on the film’s website. What do you notice about the marketing?

• Are there any social network forums linked?

• Analyse film posters for the film:

• Consider the UK audience

• Further mediums for advertising?

• TV, radio, magazines...?

• Merchandise - detail.

• Who were these marketed at?

• What was the campaign like?

• Can you add any further marketing?

• Think about the actors and their interviews on TV/ Radio and online.

• Where there any ‘leaked’ stories about the stars and their private lives around this time?

• Exhibition

• Any issues at this point?

• When, where and how was it exhibited?

• How did your film fair with the censors?

• Any issues?

• How did they achieve the rating?

• What is the benefit of this audience to the institution?

• Any restrictions on the film? What and why? Link to genre, audience...

• Reviews

• What were the reviews like of the film? Favourable or rotten tomatoes?

• Was it considered a critical success?

• Has it been reviewed for DVD too?

• Choose a selection of Positive reviews - do they choose the same features of the film to focus upon?

• What was public opinion? Remember to reference social networks or blogs here.

• Did it create any controversy, or water cooler moments/ talking points?

• First year takings?

• Do you think this is a success? Does the industry? How do we know this?

• Did it have an extended run? Was it cut short? Was it re-released at the cinemas?

• Primary Research

• Ask your peers what they thought of the marketing of the film (using Face Book, a film poster or the trailer for example), using a survey.

• What conclusions do you reach about the marketing of the film?

• Then ask if they saw it? What does this tell you?

• Did the audiences’ reaction have an impact on the studio/ producers in terms of how they created/ promoted/released other films?

• Have they stuck with the stars or genre for example? Why?

• Alternatively, have they completely gone the other way?

• Have audiences’ tastes changed? Why?

FinallySpeak to your peers about this•Have they found anything of interesting with their studies you could learn from?•Could you create your own questions for this unit?•Have you googled everything about this you can?

•Lastly, make sure you have clear points for your response and keep up to date with new references for this.